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February 26, 2021 • EPE Related News

EPE Engineers Honored for National Engineers Week 2021

EPE Engineers Honored for National Engineers Week 2021

February 21 - 27, 2021

CELENA ARREOLA, Environmental Engineer

“The world is bigger than you think it is and your worries are not as important as you think they are, just be you and smile!” Wise words shared from #EPElectric’s Environmental Engineer Celena Arreola who shares what she would tell her younger self as she embarked on that journey of becoming an engineer. EPE’s commitment to transforming the energy landscape is grounded in the work by each team member and reveled in their passion, like Celena, who challenges herself to push past boundaries and utilize adversity to engineer new solutions. A self-proclaimed lifelong learner driven by life’s questions and the insights they produce, Celena’s problem-solving personality and general curiosity naturally led her down the engineering path. A proud University of Texas El Paso Miner, Celena earned her Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Engineering Innovation and Leadership, and hails as a true-blue Eastwood High School graduate. She began her career with EPE as a grid intern in 2019 and was offered full-time once she graduated from grad school. This #NationalEngineersWeek we are proud to start our week-long celebration and honor Celena Arreola and her contribution to our community and the electric utility industry. 

FERNANDO VAZQUEZ, Senior Distribution Design Engineer

The one who didn’t get away! #EPElectric’s Senior Distribution Design Engineer Fernando Vazquez shares that so many engineers graduate from the University of Texas El Paso and get jobs outside the city, and how proud he is to have stayed to use his talents and passion to serve our community. From hospitals, to schools, large businesses to your local shop, and every family home in-between, Fernando is part of a team of EPE engineers who design how power from “somewhere” gets to you right there. As an electrical engineer, Fernando shares how his father inspired his career path watching him fix things and solve problems. “It also helped that I wasn’t so bad at math,” jokes Fernando. With a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a proud graduate of Franklin High School, Fernando proudly serves the community he was born and raised in. Already an inspiration to many students here locally looking at pursuing their own career in engineering, Fernando says: No matter how many problems or obstacles exist, always know that each one leads to a solution. For #NationalEngineersWeek, we are proud to honor Fernando Vazquez and his contributions to our community and the electric utility industry.

VICTOR TOQUINTO ZUBIATE, Distribution Design Engineer

“As a first-generation college student, I always felt like I had to work twice as hard to earn my degree. It paid off and it showed my younger siblings how possible it was. Now, we all have our degrees,” shares EPE Distribution Design Engineer Victor Toquinto Zubiate. Originally born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Victor came to know El Paso as home since he was very young, going on to becoming a graduate from Coronado High School and eventually earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Although he had the support of his family to continue his education at UTEP, he needed to balance a 30-hour job as well to contribute to his family financially. Where many days felt like it was pulling a double-shift, Victor finds that it was all worth it considering how his younger brother and sister followed in his footsteps and earning their college degree. This was a story waiting to happen as Victor remembers his passion for fixing things. Actually, breaking things… and then fixing things. The toys Victor was given as a child would be disassembled and then reassembled…sometimes…to figure out how they worked. Now, he is part of a team of #EPElectric engineers who figure out how to get power from our grid to your home and business. This #NationalEngineersWeek, we are humbled by Victor Toquinto Zubiate’s talents and honor his contributions to our community and the electric utility industry.

ELIAS MONTOYA, Senior Distribution Design Engineer

Passion, grit and great work are landmarks built along the career path for Elias Montoya as he celebrates his tenth year with #EPElectric as a Senior Distribution Design Engineer. A culminating celebration of who makes up the great El Paso Electric team, Elias was born in El Paso, Texas, raised mostly in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico where he discovered his passion for electrical engineering, and attended college and grad school at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Elias holds a Masters and Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from UTEP, and joined EPE a decade ago and has been helping power homes and businesses through the development and expansion of our electrical grid every since. This career path would not have been possible without the support of his family and his exposure early to technical labs offered to him at his high school in Ciudad Juarez, where he was constantly inspired by the possibilities of electrical engineering. “I was working and studying full time while earning my degrees, but instead of seeing this as an adversity it actually helped me stay focused on the goal ahead with my family pushing me every step of the way,” says Elias. This inspired his advice to anyone who, like him, may be facing similar challenges: The road ahead my not be easy or smooth but your choice to stay focused and determined can be – so use that and enjoy the rewards that rewards that await you. We are proud to celebrate Elias Montoya this #NationalEngineersWeek and all his contributions to our community and the electric utility industry.

DAVID SUAREZ, Electrical Engineer

Being the first means you go down an undiscovered terrain not knowing what you will encounter, but it also means you leave a path paved for those who come after you built by your success, passion and accomplishments. That is the story of #EPElectric Electrical Engineer David Suarez, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico from three years to graduating high school and began his education journey to becoming an engineer as a first-generation college student at The University of Texas at El Paso. On top of being the first in his family to both graduate high school and attend college, he also entered UTEP as an English-language learning student. Despite the challenges he encountered, he persevered and went on to earn his Masters and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from UTEP. While a graduate student, David earned a coveted spot as a grid intern with EPE’s internship program, and was brought on full-time shortly after to join the Distribution Systems Team where he now helps design and layout electrical systems and upgrades for customers, specifically in the Downtown El Paso area. True to the engineer spirit, he is inspired by curiosity and discovery exploring how things are made and function – like renewable energy. This is why he loves how EPE is investing in more renewable energy sources and how he can play a bigger role in the Utility’s efforts to build a more sustainable future. This #NationalEngineersWeek, we honor David Suarez and how he defines the true spirit of innovation and passion.

CRYSTAL ENOCH, Principle Energy Efficiency Program Analyst

“Creating my own path has allowed me to hold a variety of positions that eventually led me to the utility industry and has allowed me the opportunity to join my interest in construction and economics, working closely with customers to find a solution to their needs.” Crystal Enoch is a licensed mechanical engineer who highlights the variety of careers and roles engineers can take on based on the breadth and depth of their skill from studies and experiences as an engineer. Crystal Enoch serves as #EPElectric’s Principle Energy Efficiency Program Analyst helping craft and launch the Utility’s energy efficiency program for the benefit of all customers. Crystal specifically mentions how much she looks forward to harnessing the energy benefits to building automation systems and smart technologies to further develop EPE’s energy efficiency programs and grow the commercial and residential load management programs to help drive lower energy costs for customers. However, her career goes back to the days with her father observing and learning from him the principles of surveying, construction, mechanics, electronics and wire diagrams. Her father had one simple reply to her dedication: “Become an engineer.” Born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico with a short adolescent stint in Kermit, Texas, Crystal went on to graduate from Onate High School and earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology from New Mexico State University. This #NationalEngineersWeek, we celebrate Crystal and the path she paves and inspires for many others to travel to a future that is stronger, better and more efficient for all of us.